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Students and staff at DeMatha Catholic High School mourn the sudden loss of star football player Rico Webb. Chris Gordon reports. (Published Saturday, Jan 31, 2015)

A Maryland high school is mourning the loss of a football star who died from a blood clot in his lungs over the weekend.

The DeMatha Catholic High School Stags are known as a dominant football team, and one of its most dominant players this year was senior lineman Rico Webb. At 6-foot-7-inches tall and 365 pounds, he simply moved people out of the way.

On National Signing Day Rico Webb accepted a scholarship to play football for Alabama State.

“My son was working out with Rico three days a week as recently as last Thursday,” said Mario Barboza, parent of one of Webb’s teammates.

Webb was at DeMatha Saturday when he called his father to say he wasn't feeling well. He was taken to a hospital where he died Sunday.

DeMatha Coach Elijah Brooks said Webb was a great player with a bright future who was known for his ferociousness.

In the hallway entrance to DeMatha, a jersey with his number was on display as a memorial Monday. At a convocation service, teammates shared sadness, stories and memories of Webb. The football team looked up to Rico both because of his size and his heart.

The medical examiner ruled that Webb died of natural causes: pulmonary thrombo-embolism, which is when a blood clot blocks the lungs’ ability to supply air to the body.

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